The present invention pertains to medical drapes, and, in particular, to a medical drape adapted to control fluid run-off during a medical procedure during which it is used.
Medical drapes are utilized in numerous types of surgical procedures and operations. Frequently, these drapes cover or overlay part or substantially all of the patients on whom procedures are being performed. These drapes have been designed to perform a variety of functions, including isolating the procedure site, and protecting the patient such as by reducing the likelihood for infection.
In many medical procedures, a patient lying on a hospital table or bed can be subject to contact with liquids. In a procedure such as an operative hysteroscopy, relatively large quantities of fluid are input into and output from a patient's uterus. The quantity of fluid input and output is closely watched as a loss of fluid can indicate a potential problem in the procedure. In an operative hysteroscopy, a surgical drape overlaying the patient can be provided with a pouch in which fluid running along the top surface of the drape can be collected such that the fluid is not lost and can be measured. However, on occasion, fluid can pass between the overlaying drape and the patient and run off onto the operating bed, and from there onto the floor of the operating room. This loss of fluid obviously adversely impacts the accuracy of the measurement of fluid output from the uterus. Besides potentially wetting operating room personnel, this fluid also can accumulate on the operating bed underneath the patient and remain there throughout the duration of the procedure, subjecting the patient to continuous contact with that fluid.
Fluid leakage is also a problem in medical procedures other than hysteroscopies. In some procedures, such as cystoscopies, the procedure may be performed using a specialized bed designed to collect the fluids that pass onto the patient. However, when performed in operating rooms lacking these specialized beds, cystoscopies are subject to the same fluid leakage problems as encountered during hysteroscopies.
Thus, it would be desirable to provide an apparatus for collecting fluid associated with medical procedures in a convenient yet relatively simple and inexpensive fashion.